What Is Health and Wellness? Definitions, Dimensions & What It Means for Your Family

Reviewed by Dr. Kelly – perinatal and pediatric chiropractor, ICPA Webster Certified, and Certified Professional Midwife, serving families in the Twin Cities, MN.

Most of us would say we want to be healthy. But ask ten people what "healthy" actually means, and you'll get ten different answers. Some will say it means not being sick. Others will describe how they feel: energized, clear-headed, at ease in their body. Some will talk about their labs or their weight. Others will describe something harder to measure: a sense of purpose, strong relationships, or the capacity to handle life's ordinary stress without falling apart.

All of those answers are pointing at something real. And none of them is complete on its own.

The definition of health and wellness is broader, richer, and more interconnected than most healthcare conversations give it credit for. Understanding what these terms actually mean – and how they differ – gives you a more useful framework for thinking about your own well-being and that of your family.

The definition of health: more than the absence of disease

The most widely accepted definition of health comes from the World Health Organization (WHO), which defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

That phrase, "not merely the absence of disease," is worth sitting with. It was written in 1948, and it remains one of the most important reframes in modern healthcare thinking. It tells us that health is not simply a neutral state – the absence of something bad. It is the presence of something good: vitality, function, connection, and the capacity to live fully.

In practice, our healthcare systems are far better at treating disease than they are at cultivating the positive state the WHO describes. We are skilled at identifying what is wrong and intervening to correct it. We are less practiced at asking: what does optimal look like, and how do we support the body and mind in getting there?

This gap is exactly where the definition of health and wellness becomes so meaningful – especially for families thinking about long-term well-being, not just acute care.

What is wellness in health?

If health describes a state of being, wellness describes an active process. It is the ongoing, self-directed practice of making choices that move you toward your highest potential of well-being.

The National Wellness Institute defines wellness as "an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence." The key words here are active and choices. Wellness is not something that happens to you. It is something you participate in, every day, through the habits you build, the care you seek, and the attention you bring to your own physical, mental, and emotional rhythms.

This is why wellness is not the same as health – though the two are deeply connected. You can be free of disease and still feel depleted, disconnected, or far from your best. And you can be living with a chronic condition while actively pursuing wellness: managing stress well, nourishing your body, staying connected, and supporting your nervous system. The two concepts inform each other, but they are not identical.

What is the difference between health and well-being?

These three terms are often used interchangeably, but each carries a distinct meaning.

Health is typically understood as a measurable state: the presence or absence of disease, injury, or impairment. It encompasses physical health, mental health, and social well-being, as the WHO defines it.

Wellness is the active pursuit of practices and habits that support good health across multiple dimensions. It is dynamic and self-directed, shaped by the daily choices we make.

Well-being is the broader experience of living well: a sense of meaning, satisfaction, and flourishing that encompasses but extends beyond physical health. It is how you feel about your life, not just how your body functions. Well-being includes emotional and psychological states, the quality of your relationships, your sense of purpose, and your experience of everyday life.

The simplest way to hold all three: health is a foundation, wellness is an active practice, and well-being is the felt experience of both.

The dimensions of wellness

One of the most useful frameworks for understanding what wellness actually encompasses is the dimensional model. Rather than thinking of wellness as a single variable – how healthy am I? – it invites us to look at the full picture of what it means to be well.

Most models identify between five and eight dimensions, each representing a distinct aspect of human functioning. Here are the seven most widely recognized:

The 7 dimensions of wellness

1. Physical Wellness
The dimension most people think of first. Physical wellness encompasses the health of your body: movement, sleep, nutrition, nervous system regulation, and preventive care. It is not just the absence of illness but the active cultivation of a body that has energy, resilience, and the capacity to do what you ask of it. Physical activity, adequate rest, nourishing food, and regular care of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems all contribute to physical wellness.

2. Emotional Wellness
The ability to understand, process, and express your feelings in healthy ways. Emotional wellness includes self-awareness, the capacity to cope with stress and difficulty, and the ability to move through life's inevitable hard seasons without being defined by them. Emotional health does not mean the absence of struggle – it means having the inner resources to navigate it.

3. Mental (Intellectual) Wellness
Sometimes called intellectual wellness, this dimension involves keeping your mind engaged, curious, and growing. It includes lifelong learning, critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to process information clearly. Mental health – the clinical dimension of this – encompasses conditions like anxiety, depression, and cognitive function. Together, mental wellness reflects both the absence of disorder and the presence of an active, engaged mind.

4. Social Wellness
Humans are deeply social creatures. Social wellness reflects the quality of your relationships, your sense of belonging, and your ability to connect meaningfully with others. Strong social well-being is associated with longer life, better immune function, and greater resilience to stress. Isolation, by contrast, carries measurable health risks comparable to chronic diseases like obesity or smoking.

5. Spiritual Wellness
Spiritual wellness is not necessarily religious, though it can be. It encompasses a sense of meaning, purpose, and connection to something larger than yourself. It is the dimension that asks: what gives my life significance? Spiritual wellness can be cultivated through faith, community, time in nature, creative practice, or any experience that connects you to a sense of purpose and perspective.

6. Occupational Wellness
The degree to which your work, whether paid employment, caregiving, or creative pursuit, aligns with your values and brings a sense of contribution. Occupational wellness is often overlooked, but the research is clear: meaningful work, or the lack of it, has profound effects on overall health and well-being. For many mamas, occupational wellness also encompasses the profound, demanding, deeply purposeful work of raising a family.

7. Environmental Wellness
The relationship between your well-being and the environments in which you live, work, and raise your family. Environmental wellness includes the safety and quality of your physical surroundings, exposure to toxins, access to green space, and the degree to which your environment supports or undermines your health. For families with young children, this dimension is particularly relevant: from the products you use to the air quality in your home.

What are the 7 pillars of health and well-being?

While the dimensions above describe areas of wellness, the concept of "pillars" typically refers to the foundational practices that support health across all those dimensions. There is no single universal list, but the most consistently supported pillars in both research and clinical practice are:

1. Sleep: The single most restorative thing the human body does. Sleep is when the nervous system consolidates learning, the immune system repairs tissue, and the brain clears waste products. Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with increased risk of heart disease, metabolic dysfunction, impaired immunity, and mental health challenges.
2. Nutrition: The raw material your body uses to build, repair, and regulate itself. Whole, nutrient-dense food supports gut health, hormone balance, immune function, and cognitive clarity. Ultra-processed food, by contrast, drives chronic inflammation.
3. Movement and physical activity: Regular movement supports cardiovascular health, musculoskeletal function, mental health, and nervous system regulation. It does not have to be intense – consistent, joyful movement is more sustainable than rigid exercise regimens.
4. Nervous system regulation: The nervous system coordinates every function in the body. When it is chronically dysregulated by stress, structural imbalance, or environmental factors, every other dimension of wellness is affected. Practices that support nervous system health – chiropractic care, breathwork, adequate sleep, time in nature – have downstream effects on every pillar.
5. Stress management: Chronic stress is one of the most pervasive drivers of chronic disease. It is also one of the most underaddressed. Building meaningful self-care practices, boundaries, and support systems is not optional for long-term well-being – it is foundational.
6. Connection: Social well-being and meaningful relationships are as important to long-term health as diet and exercise. Research consistently shows that loneliness is a significant health risk, while strong social connection is profoundly protective.
7. Preventive care: Proactive attention to health before symptoms arise. This includes regular check-ins with trusted providers, age-appropriate screenings, and care modalities that support the body's function before problems develop – not only in response to them.

Examples of health and wellness in everyday life

Health and wellness can sound abstract until you bring them into daily life. Here is what they actually look like in practice:

Physical wellness in practice: Choosing whole foods most of the time, making space for movement you enjoy, getting consistent and adequate sleep, and investing in care that supports your body's structural and nervous system health.

Emotional wellness in practice: Developing a relationship with your own emotional experience – learning to notice feelings without being overwhelmed by them, asking for support when you need it, and building habits that restore rather than deplete you.

Mental wellness in practice: Staying curious, managing screen time and information load intentionally, seeking professional support if anxiety or depression is limiting your daily function, and maintaining a life with meaningful challenge and creative engagement.

Social wellness in practice: Prioritizing relationships that nourish you, maintaining connections even through busy seasons, and being honest about when isolation is becoming a pattern rather than a preference.

Preventive care in practice: Not waiting for symptoms to seek care. This applies to chiropractic care, dental care, mental health support, and every other domain where proactive attention costs far less than reactive treatment. For families, this means building a care team and a rhythm of check-ins that keeps the body well-supported, not just crisis-managed.

What does health and wellness mean for families, specifically?

For the families we serve at MotherBaby Wellness, the definition of health and wellness is deeply personal – and it extends across generations. The nervous system health of a mama during pregnancy shapes the environment her baby develops in. The microbiome established in a newborn's first days has long-term implications for immunity, mood, and resilience. The nervous system of a growing child is shaped by every experience, adjustment, and input it receives.

Wellness, from this perspective, is not a product or a program. It is a commitment to understanding how the body works, making informed choices, seeking care that supports function rather than just suppressing symptoms, and building the habits and relationships that make optimal health possible over time.

Common does not mean normal. Many of the conditions we have come to accept as inevitable in childhood – recurrent ear infections, colic, eczema, digestive struggles, sleep disruption – have identifiable contributing factors and evidence-based, holistic approaches that can support the body's natural ability to regulate, adapt, and heal.

You do not have to choose between conventional medical care and a wellness-focused, holistic approach. The most effective care is usually both/and: informed by evidence, attentive to the whole person, and oriented toward optimal function rather than minimal intervention.

How to answer: what does wellness mean to you?

This question – what does health and wellness mean to you? – is worth taking seriously as a personal framework, not just an essay prompt. Here is a way to approach it:

Start with the physical. How does your body feel most of the time? Do you have consistent energy, or are you running on depletion? Does your body move the way you want it to, sleep the way you need it to, feel like a resource or a burden?

Then look wider. Do you have relationships that sustain you? Work or purpose that feels meaningful? A sense of emotional steadiness, even in hard seasons? A connection to something beyond the daily routine?

Wellness, at its most personal, is the answer to this question: am I living in a way that makes my best self possible? Not perfect. Not without struggle. But resourced, connected, and moving in the right direction.

That is what we are oriented toward at MotherBaby Wellness – for mamas, for babies, and for families navigating the extraordinary transition into parenthood.

Ready to take a step toward optimal? Book a visit with Dr. Kelly →

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Sources

1. World Health Organization: Health and Well-Being
2. Health and wellness – PMC, National Institutes of Health
3. Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life – PMC
4. What Is Health and Wellness? – Rasmussen University